Badlapur sexual abuse case: CM says protests politically motivated, Opposition calls for statewide bandh on Aug 24

“Generally, whenever there is a protest, the locals are involved. But in this case, people from outside were brought in vehicles. Everything is recorded in CCTV cameras. When minister Girish Mahajan assured them of action and explained that all their demands had been fulfilled, they were still unwilling to move from the place. That means they wanted to defame the government,” Shinde said. He further questioned the presence of placards against the Ladki Bahin Yojana at the protest site, claiming that the oppositon, which was unhappy over the success of the scheme, is using the incident for political gain. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) condemned Shinde’s remarks, labeling them as dismissive and politically motivated.

State Congress chief Nana Patole urged Shinde to review the CCTV footage before making such claims and demanded his resignation for “baseless allegations” in a sensitive matter. The MVA also alleged that the school in the eye of the controversy is linked to a political leader. An MVA meeting, initially planned to discuss seat-sharing arrangements for upcoming Assembly elections, was redirected to address the law and order situation following the Badlapur incident.

Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut stated, “We decided to focus on the law and order situation instead of seat-sharing discussions. The people of Maharashtra are agitated, and FIRs have been filed against protesters. MVA will call for a Maharashtra Bandh on August 24 in response to the Badlapur incident.”
The protests were triggered by the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls by a cleaning staff at Badlapur school on August 12 and 13.
Shiv Sena’s Leader of the Opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve met DGP Rashmi Shukla, demanding action against the school management, which he is alleged had connection with the BJP and hence receiving government protection.